Hossein Derakhshan, better known as "Hoder", has been released from an Iranian prison after posting a $1.5 million bail, the International Campaign for Human Rights says it's been told by "an informed source."
As The Guardian writes, "the dissident Iranian-Canadian blogger" was imprisoned in late 2008. He was accused of "cooperation with hostile states, propagating against the regime, propagation in favour of anti-revolutionary groups, insulting sanctities, and implementation and management of obscene websites," it adds.
Hoder's been called the godfather of Iranian blogging. Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine has followed "the persecution of Hoder" over the years.
Update at 10:40 a.m. ET. Other Arrests:
Reuters reports that "a prominent Iranian reformist was arrested on Thursday and five students were reported detained following anti-government protests, in the latest moves against opponents of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ali Shakourirad, a leading member of Iran's biggest pro-reform party, the Participation Front, was arrested and accused of propaganda against the system, the student news agency ISNA reported."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAxNDQ2NDAxMDEyNzU2NzM2ODA3ZGI1ZA001))
